peters



J-. E. PETERS. Manufacture of Hat Rims and Bands.

Patented Mar. 30,1880.

IL PETERS, FHOTO'LITHOGRAFHER. WASHKNGTONJD. C.

IINHE STATES JOHN E. PETERS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO IVALTER J. BUDD AND PATRICK E. CARROLL, ONE-THIRD TO EACH.

'MANUFACTURE OF HAT RIMS AND BANDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 225,996, dated March 30, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN E. PETERS, of the city and county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Articles of Manufacture of Hat Rims and Bands; and I do hereby declare the following to be a sufficiently full, clear, and exact description thereof, and of the mode of making the same, to enable others skilled in the art to make and use the said invention, referring to the drawings annexed, and letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to the rims and bands of that class of hats having stiff rims covered with silk, fur, felt, or any textile fabric, and has for its object the making a more durable hat by imparting to it a degree of toughness, flexibility, and elasticity at the inner part of the rim and of the band at their point of union, the making of such parts impervious to perspiration and grease, and, by reason of its flexi hility atthat part, rendering the hat more easy and comfortable to the wearer.

The nature of my invention consists in a new and merchantable article of manufactureto wit, a molded brim and band,formed of laminae of cloth, having incorporated with'it a compound of caoutchouc and a resinous substance, adhesive when heat is applied thereto, made thin and stiff at the outer edge of the brim, gradually thickening and more elastic toward the junction of the brim and band, and gradually thinning out from that point to the upper part of the band, having a surface adapted to adhere to the side crown or cylindric part of the hat-body.

Such rims and bands when applied to the crown produce ahatwhich automatically adapts itself to the form of the head of the wearer, and at the same time preserves a smooth and presentable appearance in the brim and side body, and is impervious to grease and moisture from the head of the wearer.

Figure 1 shows the block upon which I make the first operation, and Fig. 2 a section thereof; Fig. 3, a mold, in section, for forming the rims, and Fig. 4 a section of the completed hatrim.

In making the hat-rim I proceed in the following manner: Upon a horizontal board Application filed February 10. 1880.

marked A, (shown in Fig. 1,) having a V- shaped groove, A, of elliptic form, cut in it, I place a layer of cloth, B, and cover by plates 0 and D all that portion not lying in the groove. Into the groove E, pressed in the cloth B, I pour a compound formed by dissolving caoutchouc in gasoline, and incorporate by mixing therein flowers of sulphur. This compound is of the consistency of a thick cream or paste. I allow the cloth to remain in this block or mold A until the paste has set, after which I remove it and place it in a mold, G, and form it in the shape of a hat-rim with the band attached, and exposeit to a temperature-not less than 17 5 Fahrenheitsufficient to render the paste in thering elastic. The elastic ring thus incorporated with the cloth is thickest at the angle where the rim unites with the cylindric body, and feathers out to the thickness of the cloth at both its inner and outer edge. These pieces of cloth, having the feathered-edge elastic ring formed in and on them, I apply to the usual block upon which hat-bodies are made, and build on them layers of cloth saturated with resinous matter-gum shellac preferably-so as to form a hat-body of the usual form, the portion of which embraced in the angle formed by the rim and cylindric body is elastic, while the cylindric body and outer portion of the rim are increasingly stiff as they recedefrom the angle.

. When the rim thus formed is part of the hatbody it may be bent down into contact with the sides of the hat-bod y without breaking it, as is the case with other hat-bodies, and adapts itself readily to the form of the head of the wearer, and when worn is not penetrated by moisture or grease from the head of the wearer, and does not stain the covering materials.

The following proportions of ingredients in making the elastic composition have been found efficient, although they may be varied: one pound (avoirdupois) of india-rubber or gum-caoutchouc and one-quarter pound each of gum-shellac and flowers of sulphur to one gallon of gasoline.

I do not limit myself to the particular proportions of ingredients, or the compound employed, the invention consisting, as I have stated in the specification, of a hat-rim having at or near the angle at its junction with the cylindric or oval hat-body a section having the flexible elastic properties combined with the stifl'er outer rim, and adapted to be used with a cylindrie or oval hat-body of any material.

I am aware that hats with brims and bands of plaited elastic fibrous substances have been proposed; also, that hats with brims and bands formed of a piece or pieces of sheet caoutchouc or india-rubber inserted between the brim and band thereof have been made, forming the angle and contiguous parts of the brim and band wholly of sheet india-rubber of practically uniform thickness. These latter, not having the graduation of thickness to prevent buckling, nor an yincorporated laminae of cloth, do not ofl'er the suitable surface requisite for thepermanent and secure adhesion of the hatcovering material, and are, therefore, objectionable; also, I am aware that hat-bodies formed from cloth and interposed layers of sheet india-rubber have been proposed and made. These, in consequence of the Want of graduation in thickness of the elastic portion as it recedes from the angle formed by the brim and band, are defective and objectionably clumsy, and all of these earlier attempted devices just recited I hereby distinctly disclaim.

WVhat I claim as my invention is- A new and merchantable article of manufacture, consisting of 'a molded hat brim and band combined, containing an elastic zone of graduated thickness contiguous to and embracing the angle formed by the brim and 

